Invista receives Grand Slam award for safe rail practices

Invista was one of three companies to receive a Grand Slam award for the four Class I railroad awards it received in 2010, the company announced Tuesday.

The award, given on behalf of the Association of American Railroads' Hazardous Materials Committee and its Non-Accident Release Reduction Task Force, goes to companies that achieve the highest level of safety for rail transportation of hazardous materials.

Invista is committed to safe practices in everything the company does, Walter Tyler, Invista's global environmental, health and safety director, said in a news release.

"I would like to thank the employees at our sites in Wilmington, N.C.; Maitland, Ontario; and Victoria, LaPorte and Orange, Texas, for their safe and responsible transportation of our products," he said.

Invista experienced zero non-accident releases from rail shipments during 2010, according to a company news release, earning it recognition from several from several organizations.

The Canadian National Railroad recognized the company for handling dangerous goods carefully and judiciously and for respecting high safety standards, according to the release, while Norfolk Southern Corporation recognized it for shipping more than 1,000 carloads of hazardous material over a 22-state network without incident for a year.

Union Pacific recognized the company for its prevention and corrective plans and for achieving zero non-accident releases for shipments of regulated hazardous materials, while CSX Transportation recognized it for shipping 600 or more railcars safely with no releases attributed to loading or unloading processes.

It is an honor to receive such rail safety awards, Rob Brown, Invista's managing director of global logistics, said in the release.

"The Grand Slam award affirms our commitment to safety and dedication to continuing these best practices in the future," he said.

Federated Co-Operatives Limited and International Commodities Export Corp. also received Grand Slam awards, said Holly Arthur, with the Association of American Railroads.